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Old Consoles


OmegaConsort

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I once played a wonderful instrument at Kilkhampton PC in North Cornwall. I must look up the details but I have a feeling it was voiced by Roger Yates (who knows that name?). Now, I haven't played it or seen it for 35 years or so, but hasn't that got an old console still in situ in the case? Another member referred to the old St Paul's console - at one time, the north case console was on display in the minor canons' aisle at the bottom of the entrance to the old organ loft. I did ask about this when I was last at St Paul's and the verger I spoke with said that he'd been there for 15 years or so but had never seen it!

Martin.

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I once played a wonderful instrument at Kilkhampton PC in North Cornwall. I must look up the details but I have a feeling it was voiced by Roger Yates (who knows that name?). Now, I haven't played it or seen it for 35 years or so, but hasn't that got an old console still in situ in the case? Another member referred to the old St Paul's console - at one time, the north case console was on display in the minor canons' aisle at the bottom of the entrance to the old organ loft. I did ask about this when I was last at St Paul's and the verger I spoke with said that he'd been there for 15 years or so but had never seen it!

Martin.

 

The Kilkhampton organ is here http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N11195

 

Whilst on holiday in Morwenstow in 1999, I made the short drive to this church to hear a short recital by Martin Richardson, the organist there. He told me that the organ may well contain pipework from an earlier instrument which was once situated in Westminster Abbey, and he also suggested that the old console started life there too. He invited me to have a go, and I was amazed at the variety of sounds to be found in such a relatively small instrument. I certainly didn't expect to find such luxuries as a Sub Bass 32' (down to GGGG), a Rauschquint and a 16' Bombarde on the Pedal.

 

A lovely little instrument, and certainly not what I'd expected!

 

Graham

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The Kilkhampton organ is here http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N11195

 

Whilst on holiday in Morwenstow in 1999, I made the short drive to this church to  hear a short recital by Martin Richardson, the organist there. He told me that the organ may well contain pipework from an earlier instrument which was once situated in Westminster Abbey, and he also suggested that the old console started life there too. He invited me to have a go, and I was amazed at the variety of sounds to be found in such a relatively small instrument. I certainly didn't expect to find such luxuries as a Sub Bass 32' (down to GGGG), a Rauschquint and a 16' Bombarde on the Pedal.

 

A lovely little instrument, and certainly not what I'd expected!

 

Graham

 

This is indeed a super little instrument - I was lucky enough to meet and talk with the incumbent Ronald Watts (an organist himself) who instigated the Yates work - he was still at the church in the late 70s when I was researching the work of Roger Yates for an OR article. Another contributor to these discussions has also much experience of the organ - hence its mention on quite a few occasions. 'Well worth a visit for anyone in the area - it was a bit in need of TLC last time I was there but I believe in more recent years Lance Foy has taken over its care and it is now in better health.

 

AJJ

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The Kilkhampton organ is here http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N11195

 

Whilst on holiday in Morwenstow in 1999, I made the short drive to this church to  hear a short recital by Martin Richardson, the organist there. He told me that the organ may well contain pipework from an earlier instrument which was once situated in Westminster Abbey, and he also suggested that the old console started life there too. He invited me to have a go, and I was amazed at the variety of sounds to be found in such a relatively small instrument. I certainly didn't expect to find such luxuries as a Sub Bass 32' (down to GGGG), a Rauschquint and a 16' Bombarde on the Pedal.

 

A lovely little instrument, and certainly not what I'd expected!

 

Graham

 

 

The organist is actually Michael Richardson (a personal friend and colleague).

 

The history of the instrument is somewhat difficult to establish. However, recent research suggests that it probably did not originate in Westminster Abbey.

 

It is a fine instrument, although the choruses are a little thin - the Pedal Organ definitely 'wins' in the tutti.

 

The Rev. Ron Watts has been dead for several years; the current incumbent is Rev. Peter Abell.

 

I have a number of digital photographs of the instrument, including views of the old and present consoles, the case, the pedal Bombarde and some close-up shots of various drawstops. If anyone wishes to have copies, I will be pleased to e-mail them to enquirers. In addition, I have a number of other photographs of churches and instruments in the North Cornwall area; again, I will be happy to supply copies to anyone who would like them.

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Hi

 

Interesting - there was nothing about that in the source material (I know - I entered the original survey!).  I wondered at the time what the surveyor meant by "Solo" against the Royal Trumpet!  Perhaps you could send NPOR an e-mail with the correct information, and we can then get it right.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

Will do. Someone is supposed to be sending me a full spec, so I'll wait to check the NPOR record against that first.

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What a bizzare way of doing things. If the faculty is not granted on the basis of the PA system, no organ either and converse applies too.  And the consideration for PA systems and organs are completely different, with only a few overarching principles in common.

 

I wonder why they did it that way?

 

Of course, if I were to buy a new organ for a church - probably the most expensive and largest bit of kit in the church, I'd of course find something fairly small and ephemeral to pass it through on - like a PA system - so the DAC Organ advisor misses it...

I guess the church just thought it would cut down on the paperwork. Why apply for two faculties when you can apply for one? Well, now they know! They're thinking about putting in a separate one for the organ now, just to get things moving. The DOA knows all about it - he was due to play it that very evening!
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Oh dear.  For a few brief moments my ego was struggling with common sense, but ego has won. Anyone easily bored by self-indulgence, skip this posting!

 

 

 

================

 

 

I was reading through this astonishing specification and source-list, and as my eyes ranged across it, I suddenly got a mental picture of an insane organist swinging on bells when I read "Carillon - ex Westminster Cathedral"

 

:lol:

 

One presumes that the ex-Walsall stuff is Compton, but not from the Town Hall surely?

 

MM

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Guest paul@trinitymusic.karoo.co.uk
================

I was reading through this astonishing specification and source-list, and as my eyes ranged across it, I suddenly got a mental picture of an insane organist swinging on bells when I read "Carillon - ex Westminster Cathedral"

 

:D

 

One presumes that the ex-Walsall stuff is Compton, but not from the Town Hall surely?

 

MM

 

Since you ask:

 

The 'Walsall' stuff is by Nicholson & Lord, their show job - St.Paul's Walsall - which was rebuilt by R.H.Walker in 1956. I was chuffed to pick this instrument up third-hand (after the church had been turned into a shopping centre) in particular because I learned from the men that did the work. [i joined R.H.Walker around 1964 as a part-time tea boy/sweeper-up and key holder.] There were/are (amongst other useful things) several reed stops voiced by the great Billy Jones!

 

The 'Westminster Cathedral Carillion' came from a small two-manual organ (tracker, c.1900, seven speaking stops) that I rescued from W.C. Song School about four years ago. The majority of the organ is now in the studio of a very fine Japanese organist/pianist, but I saved the percussion stop for myself.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The second is Christchurch Priory. When the old Willis Compton was mothballed and a Makin 4 manual installed in the late 70's / early 80's, the large 3 manual console completely disappeared. I wonder what happened to that??

 

 

More to the point, what happened to the 4-manual Makin console??

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More to the point, what happened to the 4-manual Makin console??

 

As far as I know, it went in the skip. If this is indeed so, I hope that the four sets of Herrburger-Brooks ivory claviers were salvaged.

 

It has to be said that it was fairly well-worn in a number of respects. Most Wednesday evenings, it would get pushed around the Nave, ready for the following day's lunch-time recital. It almost always ran over its own cable - and got stuck in a rut by the pulpit. If this happened, the only way of persuading it to resume its unwilling movemant across the church was to kick it, throw oneself against it and swear loudly at it....

 

The drawstops were, I believe, plastic, Ivorine or Ivothene - or some other composition-substitute. There were green felt linings to the bushes and the underside of the keys. The piston-heads were of conventional Compton pattern, with a slightly raised rounded ring circumscribing the face.

 

The previous Organist and Master of the Choristers did have plans for it, had he still been in-post when the pipe organ was re-commissioned. These plans basically involved a flat-headed screwdriver and a can of cheap hairspray....

 

I should say no more....

 

:blink:

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